Arab responses to 9/11 bill point to US interventions abroad
DUBA- A bill passed by Congress allowing the families of 9/11 victims to sue the Saudi government has prompted reactions of outrage and ridicule among some in the Arab world. Many critics say the bill reinforces a long-held perception in the Middle East that the US only demands justice for its own victims of terrorism, despite decades of controversial US interventions around the world.
Others support the bill, but point out that the US is meanwhile backing a Saudi-led intervention in Yemen that has led to the deaths of thousands of civilians there.
Two Arabic hashtags were trending on Twitter when the bill was passed, one referring directly to the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA, and the other simply titled: #TheAmericanTerrorism.
Some Arabic Twitter users shared a photo montage that depicted US military actions in Japan and Vietnam, as well as naked Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison being humiliated by smiling US troops. It read: "Japan, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan can't wait for JASTA to be implemented so they can, in turn, prosecute the US."
